John Abraham

It's kind of astonishing that Abraham continues to play as well as he has, especially after reaching double-digit sacks last season for the eighth time in his 14-year career. He's the active career le...

The report notes with the linebacker's contract set to expire after this season, Abraham has probably played his last game for the Cardinals. Abraham's roster spot was filled by the team's addition of punter Drew Butler.

Though Abraham rejoined the Cardinals on Tuesday after briefly pondering retirement, it doesn't appear likely that he'll be sufficiently recovered from the concussion in time for Sunday's Week 3 tilt with the 49ers. The Cardinals will have a bye the week after, which could allow Abraham to return to action in Week 5, resulting in him missing just two games. Any return, however, will be contingent on Abraham ultimately passing all concussion tests. It's certainly not a given with the 36-year-old complaining of memory loss after his most recent head injury.

Abraham took a leave from the Cardinals last week after enduring another concussion, which reportedly coincides with the 15-year veteran already suffering from memory loss, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Nonetheless, Abraham has apparently decided to rejoin Arizona on Tuesday, when he's anticipated to get cleared to play following his most recent concussion, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 Phoenix reports. Should that happen, Abraham would be in contention to play this Sunday against the 49ers.

9/12/2014

Abraham (concussion) is not expected to play in Sunday's game against the Giants, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

Abraham (concussion) was placed on the reserve list Wednesday, and if he doesn't return within five days, he'll miss the remainder of the season, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports.

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After sustaining a concussion in Monday's win versus the Chargers, Abraham left the Cardinals, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, with no indication one way or the other whether he would rejoin the team. Per Schefter, Abraham has been enduring memory loss for more than a year, meaning the pass rusher could be contemplating retirement. The loss would be another blow to a Cardinals defense that lost last year's leading tackler, Karlos Dansby, in free agency, Daryl Washington to suspension, and Darnell Dockett to a torn ACL. If Abraham's career is indeed over, Sam Acho is the leading candidate to cover the other outside linebacker spot opposite Matt Shaughnessy.

Abraham is one of the league's worst sources of tackles among 4-3 defensive ends, but he still seems to have it as a pass rusher, even heading into his age-34 season. He finished last year with 9.5 sacks in 15 games, as well as four forced fumbles. His durability has always been a worry and gets more concerning with each passing year, but Abraham has managed to miss just two games the last five years. Move him up in the rankings if your league rewards disproportionately for sack production.

2011

If Abraham were younger and less of an injury concern, he’d probably be ranked a bit higher. There’s no particular reason to expect a drop-off with Abraham after his 13 sacks last season, but doubt creeps in a bit more with each year he ages. Still, Abraham deserves relatively high IDP consideration since he has double-digit sacks in three of the last four seasons. He’s probably too much of an edge specialist to make a big impact against the run (just 40 tackles last season), but he remains a good option for leagues that reward significantly for sacks.

2010

After dropping the quarterback 26.5 times in
2007 and 2008 combined, Abraham’s sack total
dropped to just 5.5 last season, much to the
disappointment of fantasy owners. Can he
bounce back? His coach thinks so. Mike Smith
told reporters, “We still felt like he had some
very effective rushes. The sacks just didn’t
come.” We’re willing to give Abraham the benefit
of the doubt and call last season the NFL
equivalent of a poor batting average on balls in
play, but the sacks had better come, because
Abraham doesn’t generate enough tackles to
merit a fantasy roster spot otherwise.

2009

Falcons coach Mike Smith did a remarkable job of managing the immensely talented – and notoriously brittle – Abraham last season. Smith and his staff limited Abraham’s workload – to keep him as fresh and healthy as possible – and moved him from side-to-side on the defensive line to set up the best possible matchups. The strategies worked – Abraham posted a career-high 16.5 sacks and played in all 16 games, despite a variety of minor injuries. Expect more of the same this season – but bear in mind, nearly all of Abraham’s IDP value comes from the pass rush – he’s near-invisible against the run with just 70 tackles in the last two years combined.

2008

Abraham came through with another big year in sacks with 10, though recorded only 32 total tackles. His speed is still there as well as his longevity, but his sparse tackles make him a low-end start in the deepest of leagues.

2007

Let's pile on the cons. Abraham has played 16 games just three times in seven NFL campaigns. Last year wasn't one of them: he played eight due to a groin problem that required midseason abdominal surgery. He returned to full-time duty and registered just one sack in the season’s six remaining games, and 14 fantasy points in that span. The snake-bit star also tore ligaments in his right thumb, but played through the injury. During the offseason, opposite end Patrick Kerney left in free agency, and stud tackle Rod Coleman was injured and could miss the beginning of the season. There have got to be an awful lot of pros to counteract that list of cons, and there are. Foremost is Abraham's tantalizing talent. A bit undersized at end, Abraham has exceptional body control and initial burst. He's a phenomenal athlete with matching instincts and feel for the game. Some without as much talent get the most of their ability through hard work. When Abraham can get the most of his body, there's hardly anyone better on the field. To make up for losing Kerney, the Falcons drafted Jamaal Anderson, who should go a long way toward replenishing the line. The final word on Abraham? When he plays 16 games, he makes at least 10 sacks and 58 total tackles. Pray for health and reap the rewards.

2006

Stop the presses. Abraham played 16 games last year. He’d done it only twice before in his six-year career. And while he always had a top-20 fantasy-points-per-game average in the injury riddled years, last year he actually finished in the top 20 proper. With the move to Atlanta, things are about to get interesting. He’d played with some fine linemen in New York, such as Shaun Ellis and Jason Ferguson, but in Hotlanta, he’ll line up opposite Patrick Kerney in what will likely be one of the more productive tandems in the league. Abraham is light for his height (6-4, 258) but plays well in run support. In his three 16-game seasons, his solo tackles have ranged from 44 to 53, forming a very attractive tackle base to which owners add the double-digit sacks he garners when playing more than 12 games.

2005

It’d be a sight to behold if Abraham could play 16 games again. In five seasons he’s done it only twice and in those years averaged 50.5 solo tackles and 11.5 sacks. Sadly, he’s played just 19 games in the past two years, including 12 last year before going out for the year with an LCL tear. Currently in a hold out and tagged as the Jets’ franchise player, there’s even more frustration surrounding him; you’d like to see a player coming off an injury working out with the team and in practice as much as possible. When on the field, Abraham is one of the most prolific sackers in the game. He began last year shifting in between end and outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, but defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson quickly put his best pass rusher more consistently up on the line, and Abraham went off for 7.5 sacks in four games. Keep an eye on his contract status and health, and if signs are good, enjoy the production.

2004

Abraham is poised for a massive year if he can remain healthy. He managed six sacks and 25 solo tackles in the Jets' first seven games (six of which he played)of 2003 before missing the rest of the season due to a groin injury. The team's more aggressive defense under new defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, formerly the secondary coach in Baltimore, will feature Abraham both as a lineman in a 4-3 and as a linebacker, his college position, in a 3-4. They'll also play some 4-6 and be able to slip between packages at the line of scrimmage to throw opposing offenses some curves. Abraham's athletic ability should net him plenty of solo tackles in these schemes and sustain his 10-plus sack numbers. Look out for some pass coverage stats as well, which he's never had previously in his career.

2003

Abraham is the prototypical undersized pass-rushing defensive end whose quickness and ability to beat slower, bulkier offensive linemen off the snap has been compared to that of Lawrence Taylor. While Abraham isn't likely to dominate like Taylor, his 23 sacks over the last two seasons and solid tackle numbers for a pass-rushing end make him a worthy choice on draft day.